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Woodbridge Strikers Women - 2015 Season Preview

By lo admin, 05/22/15, 11:45AM EDT

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Woodbridge Strikers Women - 2015 Season Preview

Fri May 22 
Written By: Staff, League1
 

Woodbridge Strikers started focusing on the girls program in the early to mid 2000-2005, and to date the club has placed four players into the Team Canada program - from the WNT, through to U15, U17 and U20 (Emily Pietrangelo '95, Jessica Lisi '98, Rylee Foster '98, Sarah Stratagakis '99). The latter three were all on the Woodbridge Strikers 1998 team coached by Joe Parolini.

Parolini was an assistant coach with the Canada Women's National Team from 2009-2011, as well as with the Canada Men's National Team in 1986 at the FIFA World Cup in Mexico. Woodbridge Soccer Club has appointed Joe Parolini as coach of the League1 Ontario team, and paired him with Betty Bavagnoli.

Betty Bavagnoli enjoyed a long and successful career as a player, highlighted by having won 80 caps for Italy’s WNT between 1986 and 1997 and having played in the 1991 FIFA Women’s World Cup in China.

At the conclusion of her playing career, she transitioned into coaching, where she worked as an Assistant to Morace with the Italian and Canadian national team programs, served as Head Coach of Italy’s U19 Women’s National Team that participated in the 2004 FIFA U19 Women’s World Championship and held various roles with Italian Clubs, most notably serving as a Technical Director at S.S. Lazio.

In 2013, Bavagnoli was awarded the UEFA Pro coaching license. She is highly regarded as an outstanding teacher of the game and is employed by the Italian Federation (F.I.G.C.) as a coaching development instructor.

WSC President Mike Rietta and the entire Board of Directors of the club are ecstatic to have secured these two experienced professionals to lead their Women's L1 side.

"This is tremendous for the female side of our membership," said Rietta. "We have traditionally been known for the strength of our boy's and men's teams but we have worked very hard to develop our girls program and we have seen amazing results in recent years."

Rietta added, "I know that with Betty and Joe at the helm of our League1 Women's team, our young ladies have something very special to strive for moving forward."

The Strikers off-season prep for League1 Ontario reflected their ambitions for the season ahead.

"We took our OYSL ’98 girls to Italy to play international games against professional teams as well as their reserve divisions," said Parolini. "We also played three Canadian universities, winning two, and tied one. We were also able to recruit some past WNT U20s, who also had sr. experience."

Signified by their approach to support and development of their women's program, Woodbridge Strikers are clearly intent on building and maturing internally produced players to, hopefully, one day play at the professional, high-level college/ university, or women's national team. 

Meet some of the Woodbridge players below, and learn all about the club, as well as keep up on the team's results, standings, here.

DIAMOND SIMPSON

Diamond Simpson

2014 First team all-conference and preseason defender of the year...

2013 (Sophomore) - American Athletic Conference second team ... Played vital role as center-back ... Started in all 21 matches ... Scored three goals and added an assist ... Scored goal in 2-1 overtime win against Missouri on Aug. 25 ... Added goal in 2-1 win at Florida Gulf Coast on Sept. 20 .. Punched in goal in 5-1 win against UConn on Oct. 27 ... Logged assist in loss at Cincinnati on Sept. 29 ... Played every minute in 20 of the 21 matches.

2012 (Freshman) - NSCAA All-Central Region second team ... All-Conference USA second team ... C-USA All-Freshman Team ... Played in all 19 matches and made 18 starts ... Helped direct a young Memphis defense that limited 10 opponents to one or fewer goals and seven shutouts ... Notched her first career goal, a golden goal, at Vanderbilt Sept. 6 ... Added first career assist against Southern Miss Sept. 23. School.

Prior to Memphis - Member of the Canada U20 and U17 teams ... Played with Memphis teammates Christabel Oduro and Kylie Davis on the U20 squad ... Helped the U17 squad to a bronze medal at the 2008 CONCACAF Championship in Trinidad and Tobago ... Led the U17 squad to qualification for the U17 World Cup in New Zealand ... With the U17 squad, also earned gold at both the Brazil tournament and Guadalajara Olympics ... With teammates Oduro and Davis, qualified with Canada U20 for the 2012 World Cup with a silver-medal finish at the CONCACAF Championships in Panama ... Plays club soccer for Hamilton FC ... Earned letters at St. Joseph's Secondary School.

CHRISTABEL ODURO

Christabel Oduro

2013 Canada National Team - Called up to the Canada Women's National Team for the 2013 Cyprus Cup ... Has appeared in three camps for the full national squad.

2012 (Junior) - Named the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year for the second-straight season ... Selected to All-C-USA first team ... Team leader in scoring (34 points), goals scored (13) and assists (8) ... Tied for team high with three game-winning scores ... Led C-USA in scoring and goals scored ... Played in 17 of 19 matches, missing one due to playing in the U20 Women's World Cup ... Started 15 matches ... Scored a point in 13 of the 17 matches in which she played ... Had assist in win over Arkansas State Aug. 31 ... Netted her first goal of season at Vanderbilt Sept. 6 ... Scored four goals in a three-game span versus LSU (1), SEMO (1) and Middle Tennessee (2) ... Had two goals and assist in a win over Southern Miss ... Scored the game-winner against East Carolina Sept. 28 ... Had a goal and three assists in win over Marshall Sept. 30 for her second five-point game of the season ... Her scores against Colorado College and UTEP extended her goal-scoring streak to five games ... Had an assist at SMU ... Found the back of the net twice at UAB Oct. 25.

2012 Canada U20 - Member of the 2012 Canada U20 Women's Team that played for the World Cup in Japan in August and September of 2012.

2011 (Sophomore) - An NSCAA All-American third team pick ... Earned the C-USA Offensive Player of the Year honor ... Named All-C-USA first team ... Selected the C-USA Offensive Player of the Week three times ... Appeared on Soccer America's National Team of the Week twice ... Led team and C-USA in scoring (39 points) and goals scored (16) ... Second on team in assists (7) ... Opened season with a goal in win over LSU ... Netted the game-winner at Alabama ... Had a goal against Ole Miss ... Posted a goal and an assist versus Charlotte ... Had an assist in the win at Houston and the game-winning goal at Rice ... Scored goals in four-straight C-USA games and had two goals against UCF, including the game-winner ... Had a goal and an assist in the C-USA Championship game victory ... Earned C-USA Championship Offensive MVP honors ... Scored four goals and added an assist in NCAA Tournament win over UT Martin.

2010 (Freshman) - Saw action in all 22 contests and started 13 ... Finished the season in the team's top-five for goals scored, assists, shots-on-goal and points scored ... Scored the game-winning goal in the Conference USA Championship semifinal victory over Houston.

Prior to Memphis - A multi-sport athlete at St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School, playing point guard for the basketball team and outside hitter for the volleyball team and also running cross country ... A three-time Region of Peel Secondary School Athletic Association (ROOPSSAA) champion in soccer ... The 2009 squad was a provincial finalist ... Also a member of the school's ROOPSSAA championship squad ... On the club level, played for the Dixie Gladiators under the direction of Coach Ali Douha.

OLIVIA MBALA

Olivia Mbala

PLAYING HISTORY: 
 
Wexford Jaguar Girls Soccer Team; Toronto, Ontario; Right/Left Midfield, 5 Years
U12 Scarborough District Soccer Team; Toronto, Ontario; Midfield
U13 Region 4 Regional Soccer Team; Toronto, Ontario, Defender
U14 Provincial Soccer Team, Ontario, Defender
U20 Canada National Team, Canada, Defender
Senior Team Canada Team, Canada, Defender
University North Carolina – Defender
Florida Atlantic University - Defender

INTERNATIONAL PLAYING EXPERIENCE
9 international games:

Rouen, France, [2005]
Region of Normandie selection team
Buffalo, USA, [2007]
U17 New York Women team
U17 Pennsylvania Women team
Canada Team Sao polo, Brazil, [2010]
U20 Chile Women National team
U20 Argentina Women National team
Paris, France, [2007]
FCF Juvisy, France, first division team
Graveline, Fance [2007]
FC Graveline, France, second division team
 
LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE
Captain, high school soccer team, [2007]
Team captain and group leader, 3-week European soccer tour
Captain of Wexford Jaguar team, [2001/2007]
Captain of Florida Atlantic University (FAU) [203-2014]
 
SOCCER CAMPS ATTENDED
Passion Foot – Rouen, France, [2005 and 2007]
AnbSoccer academy, Toronto, Canada, [2007]
Shoutingstar soccer academy, Toronto, Ontario, [2005 and 2006]
 
PERSONAL AWARDS, HONORS, ACHIEVEMENTS
Selected for U11 District squad [2006/2007]
Selected for U12 Regional squad [2006/2007]
Birchmount Exceptional Athlete Program (BEAP) Student [2005-2009]
Conference USA Defender of the Year and All Conference USA First Team 2014
All Conference USA First Team 2013 
Mad College Defender of the Year 2013


TEAM/GROUP AWARDS
Wexford Jaguar league and cup champions, [2007]
Wexford Jaguar, second place, [2007]
Wexford Jaguar OYSL promotion play off, [2007]
Wexford Jaguar, Erin Mills’s eagle tournament winner [2006]
Wexford Jaguar, Region of Niagara Invitation tournament winner [2006]
Wexford Jaguar, Ontario summer game bronze medial winner [2005]

DIANA "KIWI" DA ROCHA

Diana (Kiwi) Da Rocha

Date of Birth : 01/16/1990
Passport : Canadian
Position : Central Midfielder
Height : 1.57m
Weight : 55kg

Experience

2004-2006 Team Ontario
2004-2007 Woodbridge Strikers Soccer Club
2006 Cruzeiro Esporte Club’s Player Development - Minas Gerais, Brazil
2007/2008 Team OYSL (Disney’s Soccer Showcase Tournament)
2008 Toronto Lynx U20
2008-2010 - Bolton Wanderers Soccer Club
2008-2012 Lindsey Wilson College (Kentucky)
2011-2012 Erin Mills Soccer Club
2013-2014 Richmond Hill Soccer Club


Toronto Lynx
Women’s Super 20 League North American Finals All-Tournament Team

Lindsey Wilson College
2011 Mid South Conference First Team
2008-2011 Mid-South Conference Champions
2008-2011 National Appearances

Richmond Hill Raiders
2013 Ontario Cup Finalists
2014 Ontario Cup Semi Finals